We’re just a few days from the release of Google’s latest generation of smartphones. Google Pixel 11 pre-orders went live last week (on August 12), and now benchmarks have already started to surface online – typically thanks to early reviewer testing. The results are for the Pixel 11 Pro XL in particular, with one of the biggest upgrades being the new Tensor G6 chip.

The new Pixel 11 range will be widely available on August 20, so there’s not much longer to wait for more in-depth benchmarks, battery life tests, durability/bending experiments, and other similar comparisons. Either way, these early results – uploaded to Geekbench – give us an understanding of the performance uplift from Tensor G5 to the Tensor G6.

Pixel 11 Pro XL versus Pixel 10 Pro XL – trailing behind the Samsung S26

Benchmarks reveal up to a 20% performance increase when comparing the Pixel 11 Pro XL and last year’s Pixel 10 Pro XL model, based on two recent Geekbench results. With these early benchmarks, it’s always worth taking them with a grain of salt, but since the Pixel 11 series is just days away, we are likely looking at launch-day performance, if not close to it. Fans should be able to enjoy similar performance from the non-XL Pixel 11 Pro, as it features the same core specs under the hood.

In addition to the new Tensor G6, the Pixel 11 model also gets a new Titan M3 security co-processor. Either way, the series still falls behind rival smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra (released earlier this year), which is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip. A recent benchmark shows the S26 Ultra hitting 3,082 and 10,381 in single-core and multi-core scores, representing a striking 34% and 46% uplift, respectively, versus the Pixel 11 Pro XL.

Overall, the new Pixel 11 flagship, excluding the new Pro Fold, represents a pretty average generational uplift. As expected, the performance still isn’t on the level of the very best Snapdragon chips, nor the latest iPhones, with the iPhone 17 Pro/Pro Max currently powered by the Apple A19 Pro chip (Geekbench results here). Apple will reveal the iPhone 18 series next month, though an expected price hike could push them even further away from many consumers’ budgets.

With wide availability for the Pixel 11 series coming soon, you have limited time remaining if you want to snap up a pre-order deal before it releases. For example, Amazon is offering a $200 gift card with the Pro and Pro XL, or $100 for the base model.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.